Chapter Text
While Metropolis had a thriving nightlife, there was only one queer bar in the heart of the city. When a second one opened up in the middle of the summer, Cat had practically begged her friends at the Planet for them to give it a visit during one of their routine bar hopping escapades after the end of a busy newsweek. Lois hadn’t needed convincing and Jimmy was pretty unbothered by the suggestion. Steve bowed out but no one was sad to hear that. Clark was only tagging along to make sure everyone made it home safe as he wasn’t really a drinker, so it didn’t matter to him where they went. So, that settled that.
After work, Cat led the rest of them toward the bar and away from the lot Clark parked his truck with her arm linked with Lois’. As it turned out, the bar was only a few blocks away from Cat’s apartment so Lois planned to crash there with her after their night out. Clark hung back with Jimmy as he listened to him tell him all about one of the interns and her failed attempt at impressing him with a new blouse that she claimed perfectly matched his eyes. The bar was called Mac’s and there were a variety of pride flags hanging from strings flapping in the mild summer breeze. They all got past the bouncer without issue and Cat squealed in excitement when she saw the dancefloor packed full of people taking advantage of Mac’s happy hour. For their grand opening, Mac’s offered a house shot for such a low price that Clark was certain that it could not be enjoyable in the least.
It took no time at all for Cat to send the boys off to snag them a free booth while she and Lois gathered drinks for the group.
Sliding into the booth after Jimmy, Clark’s eyes flicked around the bar as he pretended to listen to his friend tell him more about the intern. While he loved spending time with Jimmy, there were only so many girls he could feign interest in hearing about. Just as his eyes locked onto a vision in blue tucked into the corner of the bar, Cat and Lois appeared in his line of vision with a shot glass in each hand. Cat slid in on Clark’s side and Lois on Jimmy’s, and the four of them clinked their glasses together before taking them without hesitation. Despite not being able to feel the effects of it, Clark would partake in at least one drink per outing just to keep his friends off his back. Alcohol wasn’t particularly palatable to him and it was a waste of money to even drink it, so he didn’t.
The four of them chatted about their respective weeks, complained about Steve, and gossiped about Perry’s marriage. Then, after a few short minutes, Cat decided she needed another shot. Looking up, Clark saw who had caught his eye earlier still lingering by the bar. She was a petite blonde in a baby blue mini dress that clung to every curve and silver heels on her feet with a dainty handbag hanging from her shoulder. When Clark watched her flick her hair over her shoulder with a bright laugh, he immediately offered to be the one to grab the next round. Seeing the man’s sudden interest in the bar, Jimmy insisted on tagging along. Clark said nothing to that, just walked with Jimmy toward the bar where the blonde was conversing with some friends over fruity cocktails. He squeezed through a sea of patrons before he made it to the bar top, with just a person between himself and the blonde and Jimmy on his other side.
“See somethin’ you like, big guy?” Jimmy asked with wagged brows, clearly eyeing the blonde over Clark’s shoulder, “She’s cute.”
“Jimmy,” Clark warned him shortly, “Don’t.”
“Let me be your wingman,” his friend continued anyway, “Girls usually don’t want to get chatted up at gay bars, that’s why they come to gay bars.”
“I’m not planning on chatting anyone up.”
“You should be!” Jimmy cried out, “You need to put yourself out there, Clark. I mean, when’s the last time you got laid?”
“Not your business,” Clark huffed, “My sex life is none of your concern.”
“Come on, Clark. Don’t be like that.”
Before Clark could respond, the person between himself and the blonde walked away with their drink. He wasn’t going to acknowledge it, until he caught her turning to him in his peripheral. Risking a glance, Clark saw her resting her chin on her palm as she eyed him passively. Her sparkling blue eyes dragged down his body then back up to his face, her glossy pink lips curling into a flirty smile. Just when he thought he had gathered the nerve to say something, her friend called out to her and immediately ripped her eyes away. Clark turned back to the bartender, biting back a grumble when he heard Jimmy snickering beside him. With another round of drinks collected, the two of them made their way back to the booth. The ladies were practically curled into one another, deeply engrossed in conversation.
“Alright,” Jimmy called out to the two of them as he sat down and slid their two respective shots toward them, “What are we gonna do to get Clark to go home with blondie over there?”
“Who?” Lois clamored in curiosity, leaning over to scan everyone at the bar before gasping when she noticed a curvy blonde in a tiny dress walk away without a drink in her hand, “Shit, she’s hot!”
“Clark gets dibs,” the redhead insisted, “He saw her first, and she definitely wants him.”
“How do you know?” Cat inquired gleefully, she always loved gossip, “She’s super cute, Clark! You should go for it!”
“I don’t—” Clark tried before Jimmy cut him off.
“She looked over at him and totally checked him out. Like, an undeniable eyefuck.”
“Jimmy!” Clark choked in horror.
“Clark,” Lois urged, “Go buy her a drink! She doesn’t have one!”
“Lois,” he sighed, “If she came to a gay bar, I’m sure she’s not eager for a guy trying to pick her up. Not tonight.”
“If she wasn’t looking to hookup, she wouldn’t have even spared you a glance,” Cat chimed in, “Gay bar or not, a girl like that won’t look at you that way unless she wants something. Plus, bi guys still go to gay bars. There’s no reason to count anyone out! Certainly not when you look like that!”
“She’s out with her girlfriends,” Clark insisted fretfully, “I’ll bet she just wants to have a good time with them without my interrupting.”
“Oh my god,” Lois hissed and grabbed Clark’s forearm, “She’s going to the bathroom. C’mon, Cat. We can play bait.”
“What?!” he yelped as he watched the two push Jimmy out of the booth before scooting out and marching toward the bathroom like women on a mission, “Oh, gosh.”
Clark dragged a hand across his face, entirely exasperated. Jimmy slid to sit by Clark’s side and slung an arm over his shoulder. His friend grabbed two of the full shots they’d just brought back to the table and offered Clark one. With a clink of their glasses, Clark threw his back with a grimace and wished that it would loosen the knot in his throat to no avail.
“Tonight just might be your lucky night, buddy.”
The two of them grabbed Lois and Cat’s abandoned drinks to save for them and made their way near the bathroom on the outskirts of the dance floor. Jimmy handed the shot in his hand to Clark and vaguely gestured toward the bar before disappearing in an instant. Clark sulked for a moment, offering kind smiles to the people passing him by with lingering stares.
“You look lost,” a voice grabbed his attention, pulling his eyes toward a tall brunette in a plush fur coat, “First time at a gay bar?”
“No, actually,” Clark admitted with a grin, “I’ve been to Crimson Moon a few times. One of my best friends is a lesbian and I’m her favorite designated driver.”
“I can’t imagine why,” the woman teased, “I’m sure she has to beat these dolls and gays off of you with a stick. You’re just about the tastiest looking thing to walk in here.”
Clark floundered with a hot blush burning his cheeks. Before he could string together a coherent response, he heard people approach. Turning to his left, Clark saw the blonde giggling with two of her friends and now Cat and Lois. The brunette he had been talking to grabbed onto the blonde’s arm and pulled her closer, whispering into her ear. Oh, Clark paled, They’re friends.
“Clark!” Lois hollered as the music started to ramp up before tapping the blonde on her shoulder, “Honey, this is our friend Clark. Clark, this is Gwen. She just moved to Metropolis.”
“Hi,” the blonde, Gwen, greeted with a pretty smile.
“H-Hi,” Clark choked out, ignoring the way Cat and Lois took the shots from his hands and drank them so he could offer her a handshake, “It’s very nice to meet you.”
There was something about the look on Gwen’s face when he took her delicate hand into his strong one. She played with her blonde hair with her free hand and eyed the way Clark’s palm and fingers dwarfed hers with something too close to hunger in her eyes. He cleared his throat and retracted from the handshake with a nervous smile.
“Where’s Jimmy?” Cat asked him with a pat on his arm, “He owes me a drink!”
“He’s at the bar,” Clark told her, “I think, he didn’t really tell me—”
“Let’s get another round!” Lois insisted, linking one arm with Cat and the other with Gwen before dragging them toward the bar.
Clark watched as Gwen’s friends gathered to chatter together while they followed the girls. He sucked in a deep breath and cleared his throat again before finally following after all of them. The ladies were clustered close together while they waited for a free bartender, talking amongst themselves. Jimmy appeared out of nowhere at Clark’s side with a clap on his shoulder.
“Hey, buddy!” he smiled wickedly, “What’s up? Have you gotten blondie’s name yet?”
“Her name is Gwen,” Clark nodded with his hands stuffed in his pockets, “She just moved here.”
“From where?” Jimmy pressed curiously, deflating when Clark shrugged, “Dude! Talk. To. Her. You need to gather intel if you want to hit it!”
“Jimmy,” the taller man sighed, “I don’t—“
“Jimothy!” Lois cheered over the music and chatter filling the bar, “Cat says you owe her a drink! Come up here, both of you!”
Once again, before Clark could even react, he was tugged toward the bartop. Lois pulled both him and Jimmy, with Jimmy on her left between herself and Cat and Clark on her right directly beside Gwen. Clark squeezed through with a grimace, apologizing for the way his arm pressed up against hers. Had it not been for the dress shirt he wore, the skin-to-skin contact would've made him shiver.
“You look nervous,” Gwen giggled as she leaned into him, and Clark had to keep his eyes locked with hers so he didn’t glance at her cleavage, “Loosen up! You should be having fun, not looking like you’re out of place.”
“I am,” he promised, “Having fun, I mean.”
“Sure,” she nodded, clearly unconvinced before nodding toward the bartender, “Are you gonna have a drink?”
“I’m not sure,” Clark answered honestly, “I’ve already had more than I usually do and I have to make sure everyone gets home safe.”
“How many do you usually have?”
“One.”
“You can have way more than one and be fine!” Gwen gaped, “As big as you are, I’m sure you could outdrink all of us combined and not feel a thing.”
“I don’t know about that…” Clark tried to appear modest despite knowing that was accurate, “I’ve never been a drinker anyway. But, what do you like to drink?”
“Not much,” she shook her head with an adorably scrunched nose, “I had a shirley temple when we got here. I’m not really a drinker either.”
“Let me buy you another shirley temple, then.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Gwen insisted.
“I want to,” he maintained with a smile, “I haven’t had a shirley temple since high school and it’s only fair if I get you one too.”
When she didn’t protest, Clark nodded and turned to the bartender. He ordered two shirley temples and handed Gwen one when they were ready, slipping the bartender cash before telling them he didn't need change. Gwen raised her glass to him and he tapped his against it. Just when he thought about turning to look over at his friends, she clutched onto his forearm and tugged him away from the bar. Without hesitation, Clark followed after her and completely disregarded the whooping he heard from their friends behind him. They came to a stop at a booth tucked into a quieter corner and Clark slid in after her.
“Thank you for the drink,” Gwen smiled at him as Clark fought not to react to the way her leg pressed up against his on the leather seat, “That was very sweet of you.”
“My pleasure,” he nodded, “Lois said you just moved here. Where from?”
“New York,” she replied, “Born and raised in Manhattan.”
“Ah,” Clark mused, “So this is practically a small town to you, then?”
“Pretty much,” Gwen giggled and tossed some of her blonde hair over her shoulder, wafting her sweet perfume toward him, “But there weren’t many guys like you in the big city. You don’t look like you’re from here either.”
“Definitely not,” he chuckled, “I’m from an actual small town in Kansas.”
“Farm boy, huh?” she teased, her hand grasping his arm where it rested on the table before creeping up to squeeze his bicep, “That’s why you’re so big, then? Midwestern guys are usually big and strong.”
“I think anyone would look big and strong next to you, doll,” Clark returned easily, willing Superman to take some control in front of her considering she made him so nervous, “A pretty little thing like you.”
“Are you flirting with me, Clark?” Gwen asked with an arched brow and sinful grin that made Clark’s confident veneer crumble in an instant.
“Only if it’s working,” he admitted after he cleared his throat again, “You’re very beautiful but I would hate to make you uncomfortable.”
“You’re not making me uncomfortable,” she promised with a coo, her hand reaching up to pinch his cheek, “You’re just the cutest thing I want to eat you up.”
“I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” Clark chuckled and reflexively leaned into her touch, “The moment I saw you, I knew I wanted to get to know you better.”
“Physically?” Gwen said with a tantalizing look on her face that made his breath hitch.
“I mean,” he sputtered, looking down for a moment which he regretted instantly since his eyes caught on the low neckline of her dress and the swell of her breasts before flicking back up to her face, “Eventually, yes…”
“Eventually?”
“I’m… admittedly a bit old fashioned,” Clark shrugged, “I’m not really a casual hookup kind of guy. If that’s what you’re looking for then you might have to be a little patient with me.”
“You’d still hookup with me even if I wanted it to be casual?” she asked, her blue eyes widening in surprise.
“I’d do anything you asked me to,” he admitted sheepishly.
Gwen looked at him critically for a quiet moment, making Clark squirm under her gaze. He took a sip of his drink to ease the choking dryness in his mouth. Then, Gwen scooted back from him, just by a few inches but the action still made his heart stutter. Gosh, he really hoped he hadn’t offended her or creeped her out.
“Then there’s something you should know,” Gwen told him, “I thought you already did but I’m starting to think you have no idea and it wouldn’t be a good idea to keep this up if you don’t.”
“Oh?” Clark gaped with wide eyes and nerve-bitten lips.
“It’s just that,” she interjected, suddenly nervous, “You are big and strong and if you have an issue with what I’m about to tell you, then, it wouldn’t be safe. And I’ve compromised my safety too many times.”
“I would never ask you to compromise your safety, I’d actually hate it if you did that,” he shook his head, “And I promise, you'll always be safe around me.”
“The world isn’t particularly kind to girls like me,” Gwen admitted with a sad smile, “And you come from a small town, I wouldn’t blame you if you felt a certain type of way…”
“On the farm where I grew up,” Clark began gently despite the way he had to project over the music, “I never knew anything other than love. My parents aren’t the type to judge and they raised me to be that way too. There’s nothing you can say that would make me treat you with anything less than utmost respect.”
His eyes locked with her sparkling blue ones for a long moment before she spoke again.
“I’m transgender,” she admitted, “If we’re going to hookup, then you need to know that before I go anywhere with you. It’s not a good idea to leave that for a surprise when you get my panties off.”
“That doesn’t change anything to me,” he shrugged without hesitation, “Beautiful’s beautiful and you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. I’d still love to get to know you, causally or not.”
“What would getting to know me non-casually entail?” Gwen challenged with a pleased grin on her face as she tried her hardest to hide how surprised she was.
“I’d take you out, give you the full princess treatment,” Clark smiled, “Buy you dinner, if you’d like. Or maybe indoor minigolf… Anywhere I could just talk to you. Ask about you… Things you like, people you love, foods you crave. Whatever you’d share with me, I’d cherish completely.”
“And when the date comes to an end…” she prompted curiously, plucking the maraschino cherry from her drink and practically torturing him with the way she wrapped her lips around it, “What happens then?”
“I take you home, walk you to your door,” he answered easily despite the flush on his face and the pressure in his lower abdomen, “Tell you how much I enjoyed your company and ask you if we could do it again sometime.”
“Anything else?”
“That’d be up to you. I’d never pressure you to do anything, just being around you would be enough.”
“Well,” Gwen began as she scooted closer to him again, “You’ve already bought me a drink and learned a bit about me… That’s already a good start.”
“I think so too,” Clark said with a dimpled grin, “But I also think you could do with being a little spoiled. That’s something you have to know about me, I can be a bit overbearing with my affection.”
“I love overbearing,” she purred and leaned in with her hand on his arm again, “I’ve never been in a relationship like that.”
“Well, I’m a relationship kind of guy,” he replied simply, “Getting to know you better and making you my girl is my way of doing things. But, I’m also a fast learner and I can adapt if you want something… different.”
“I just want you, Clark.”
At that, Clark decided it was still early enough in the evening to leave the bar with Gwen and take her somewhere quieter to chat. The two of them reconvened with their friends on the other side of the bar hand in hand. All Gwen had to say to her friends was that she was leaving with Clark and that her location was being shared with the rest of them in case they wanted to check on her. Clark made sure Jimmy was sober enough to get Lois and Cat home and that any of them could call him if they needed anything. He also made Jimmy promise to make sure Gwen's friends made it home safe too, despite already deciding he’d ask Gwen to touch base with them later in the night. Their friends didn’t say much in return, just shooed them away with shit eating grins on their faces. With another glance at Gwen, he made sure she was certain about leaving with him. Gwen squeezed his hand in return, tugging him after her as she made her way toward the exit.